Immortal Guardian guitarist/keyboardist Gabriel Guardian, well known on the YouTube universe for his incredible multi-instrumental cover videos, is sharing his latest rendition of Eric Johnson's Grammy Award winning single "Cliffs Of Dover".
Gabriel Guardian adds:
"I've always been absolutely fascinated by this song. It's one of a kind in its composition, tone, phrasing, and all around badassery. Eric Johnson, you sir are a genius. Thank you for inspiring me as a young Texan guitarist. I covered this song in my 8th-grade talent show and from then to even now, it never got any easier, but my passion and feeling towards every note felt the same! I love how some songs with no lyrics can pull so much emotion and nostalgia outta me. Happy to have finally had the time and skill to do a proper video for this epic song."
The band urges fans to visit their online shop to pre-order their new album, Psychosomatic, which will be released on February 12 via M-Theory Audio.
Immortal Guardian previously unveiled a music video for “Lockdown”, the second single from their forthcoming concept album, Psychosomatic. The clip, which showcases the group cleverly adapting to the same stay-at-home conditions that are affecting millions of people around the world at this moment can be viewed below.
"Rich or poor, it doesn't matter, every human this year experienced some kind of lockdown/isolation during this insane year,” says guitarist / keyboardist Gabriel Guardian. “We couldn't even just meet up because our borders were on lockdown for international travel. Thank god for the internet, as we were able to still create music and keep each other company online even with thousands of miles between each member. 'Lockdown' talks about all of the same questions we all have been asking ourselves since the start of the pandemic. Where did this all come from? Who's to blame? Is the lockdown saving more lives than it's destroying? We can only keep making music through these crazy times and hope for a better tomorrow."
Tracklisting:
"Psychosomatic"
"Read Between The Lines"
"Lockdown"
"Phobia"
"Clocks"
"Self-Isolation"
"Goodbye To Farewells"
"Candlelight"
"Find The Reason"
"New Day Rising"
After winning over new audiences with their acclaimed 2018 debut full-length Age of Revolution and touring relentlessly alongside fellow shredders such as Marty Friedman, Powerglove, and Exmortus, Immortal Guardian gathered in Las Vegas earlier this year to begin recording their second album. As the spread of COVID-19 and the subsequent pandemic began to ensue, each member of the band retreated to their respective hometowns. With shutdowns around the world being enforced, the band completely scrapped the record that they had been working on and were heavily inspired to write and create a new thematic record about their emotions surrounding current events.
The video for “Read Between The Lines” - produced and directed by SBLGA - also saw the members of Immortal Guardian contributing remotely from their respective homes, and shows off the continued refinement of their full-frontal assault of anthemic melodies, technical rhythms, furious shred and high-flying vocals.
Psychosomatic is the next step in Immortal Guardian’s evolution while still capturing the band’s exhilarating trademark melding of melodic power metal with progressive / shred tendencies.
Immortal Guardian is:
Gabriel Guardian – guitars / keyboards
Carlos Zema – vocals
Justin Piedimonte – drums
Josh Lopez – bass
Sheboygan, WI’s Toxic Ruin – who infuse their energetic thrash metal assault with death metal brutality and clinical technicality – has signed with M-Theory Audio. Their second full-length album, Nightmare Eclipse, is due for worldwide release later this year. The first taste of the bludgeoning to come, “Ritual Rebirth”, can be heard below.
“Those of you who know me personally know that music has always been a big part of my life,” says vocalist/bassist Stephen Behrendt. “For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be in a band and playing music for the masses. Not that I can't or wasn't able to do that before, but this is the next step in our musical career. I feel like I speak for the whole band when I say that we are beyond excited to be joining the M-Theory Audio family, and believe we can accomplish great things together. Thanks for all of your continued support, and we hope to see you all out there soon!”
Toxic Ruin was formed in 2014 with a mission of blending classic thrash metal, old-school death metal, and modern technicality and tones into a wicked headbanging brew. Operating out of their collective hometown of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the band released their debut album, Subterranean Terror, in 2016. This opening serve showcased the group's already-burgeoning barrage of furious riffs and lyrical content ranging from the sociopolitical commentary of tracks such as “Seat Of Corruption” to the beloved craving of a good drink on songs such as “Alcoholocaust.”
The group followed up that debut record with the release of their 2018 EP, Mortal Insolence. The effort saw the current lineup of Toxic Ruin take shape with Behrendt stepping into the vocalist position and the debut of rhythm guitarist Blake Toltzmann alongside lead guitarist Jacob Baneck and drummer David Miller.
The new lineup began writing and recording songs for their second full-length album while relentlessly touring the United States in 2019 alongside bands such as Lich King, Micawber and Stonecutters and playing multiple festivals including Full Terror Assault and Slam Dakota, plus winning 2nd Place in the 2019 edition of Wacken Metal Battle USA. The result is Toxic Ruin's most mature and complex record to date, while also being their heaviest display of metallic force so far. Guest appearances from guitarists Glen Drover (Eidolon/ex-Megadeth), Derek DeBruin (Micawber) and Nick Weyers (Aronious) provide additional ear candy for aficionados of metallic guitar wizardry.
“Nightmare Eclipse” is the next evolution in blending the heavier sounds of metal's past with the modern musicianship of metal's present. More information on Toxic Ruin's latest record and pre-order will be revealed in the weeks to come by M-Theory Audio.
Anonymous experimental metal collective, Non Serviam, have released a new video for the song, "Ô World, Ô Work", a powerful act of defiance directed at capitalism and its system of general exploitation.
Non Serviam creates a sonic collage of experimental, black, doom, grindcore, crust and industrial metal while staying within the framework of a baroque influence.
Non Serviam have teamed up with the Code666 label to bring forth another masterful release, blurring lines between genres and going beyond the boundaries that restrain them.
Le Coeur Bat (The Heart Beats) is comprised of eight tracks which delve into the the deepest pits of the universe and worse even still, the darkest corners of the mind. This psychosis inspiring album will be available on all major platforms digitally as well as digipack CD and yellow vinyl on April 23.
Non Serviam adds: "It's a chance for a project like Non Serviam to benefit from the expertise and scouting talents of Code666. It is indeed one of the rare labels that has offered in the last decades the possibility to get under the spell of some of the best black metal bands from around the world, that is to say for us the most experimental and consequent ones, among which some of our inspirations (Ephel Duath, Imperial Triumphant, Negură Bunget, Aborym, Amesoeurs, Vampillia). Le Coeur Bat is an album that has been delayed many times, and has suffered greatly from the current pandemic crisis, it must now be released, like all of us. Long live the devil who threatens this world of money, cops and viruses - The old world has to burn."
Sharptone Records have welcomed New Jersey based progressive metal/hardcore band, Sentinels, to the label's ever-growing roster of trailblazing acts.
In celebration of the partnership, Sentinels has released a diabolical new song titled "Inertia" from their forthcoming debut album, to be announced at a later date. Stream the song here, and watch the clip below.
Commenting on the signing, drummer Dave Rucki says: “We are beyond excited to announce our signing with Sharptone Records. The day the label launched, we knew that if there was a home for us, it was now realized. To have them backing us, and to even be writing this now is surreal. ‘Inertia’ perfectly represents the level of aggression we aim for in our music. With Josh’s voice, we were able to elevate that aggression and further convey the more emotional moments in the song. ‘Inertia’ is about suicidal thoughts and confiding in somebody close only to be told “that’s selfish”, then deciding whether to go through with it, or prove that you can overcome it to appease those around you. We have been a band since 2012, but now solidifying our lineup with Josh on vocals, we can confidently say, this is what we had always envisioned for Sentinels.”
Vocalist Josh Hardiman adds: "Sharptone, Sentinels, and the team behind the scenes have taken a huge risk on me, the gravity of which I most certainly feel, but the difference between this weight and my burdens since past, is that now with each passing day I become stronger and more alive. More and more equipped to handle and weather new storms for now I am living a life that I want to have gifted to me by those who believed in me. I will not fail with their continued support. This is a new beginning and I hope that everyone who listens to “Inertia” want to embark on this new chapter with us."
The New Jersey quintet - Thomas Cardone [guitar], Chris Dombrowski [guitar], Danny Cruz [bass, vocals], Dave Rucki [drums, vocals], and Josh Hardiman [vocals] - cut their teeth with EPs Idylls [2013] and World Divide [2016] and cemented their signature sound with 2019's Unsound Recollections, which featured fan favorite tracks "Elysium" and "Déjà Vu". Having proven themselves time and time again with boundless technical musicianship and dynamic songwriting, Sentinels set their sites on conquering the metalcore scene with their hotly anticipated debut full-length that's due out later this year from SharpTone Records.
Conjurer have signed a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast Records. Their still-untitled second full-length and follow-up to their 2018 debut album, Mire, is set to be released later this year.
Conjurer's Brady Deeprose (guitar & vocals) comments: “Conjurer are extremely excited to partner with Nuclear Blast worldwide for the forthcoming release of our second album. Having spent the last year or so getting to know Monte Conner, we count ourselves lucky to be working with not only a true legend in the world of heavy music but one who continues to champion exciting, forward-thinking art. We’ve now also been introduced to Barley and the rest of the international team at NB and it’s evident that they understand our mentality and want nothing more than to support and nourish our creativity. In what has been an awful year on so many levels, we are grateful to have found the right home for our music. We look forward to working together with NB to bring you our sophomore album in 2021, and much more in the years to follow.”
Nuclear Blast's A&R legend Monte Conner states: “I am thrilled to welcome the mighty Conjurer to the worldwide NB family. I must stress “worldwide” because I originally signed them just for North America, but due to a change in circumstances I got to sign them again, and this time for the WORLD! So, I guess you could say I liked these guys so much that I signed them TWICE! When COVID finally lifts, be sure and see them live as they will absolutely blow you away.”
European A&R at Nuclear Blast, Nathan Barley Phillips, adds: “My first experience of Conjurer playing live was during a cold and miserable night in Milton Keynes in 2016 - I didn't think there was a band capable of radioactively reheating my bones whilst also matching the utter bleakness of the weather outside. Conjurer achieved it in droves, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Absolutely stoked to serve as European A&R for the band during the next chapter of their career."
THE PRETTY RECKLESS has shared the official video for the new single "And So It Went" featuring guitarist Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE). By thought and by action, emotion and intellect, the accompanying visual personifies the angst and unrest alive in this timely anthem.
"The world has been in such a state of civil unrest," singer Taylor Momsen says about the track. "'And So It Went' basically comes from that vision. As a songwriter, I feel like I'm not here to preach. I use music to observe and communicate what I see around me. This song felt like the perfect storm for Tom Morello to join in and rip the sound waves apart with his guitar. It was more than a pleasure having him add his unique and defining sound to the song."
Morello states about working with THE PRETTY RECKLESS: "I got to perform with Taylor Momsen at the Chris Cornell memorial show. We rocked 'Loud Love' and she nailed it — no easy task. Thank goodness she and her band continue to fly the flag for rock 'n' roll in a mighty way."
"And So It Went" is taken from THE PRETTY RECKLESS's upcoming album, "Death By Rock And Roll", which will be released on February 12 via Fearless Records in the U.S. and Century Media Records in the rest of the world.
"Death By Rock And Roll" is THE PRETTY RECKLESS's first LP to be made without longtime producer Kato Khandwala, who died in April 2018 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
Morello joins previously announced guests Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron from SOUNDGARDEN. The song with Cameron and Thayil, called "Only Love Can Save Me Now", was recorded at Seattle's legendary London Bridge Studios, where seminal LPs like PEARL JAM's "Ten" and SOUNDGARDEN's "Louder Than Love" were laid down.
Momsen told Forbes about "Death By Rock And Roll": "We worked really hard on this album and we went through a lot of loss, a lot of tragedy, and we really poured our hearts and souls into it and in a way I can't express verbally. It's all there in the music, so that's why I say it feels like a rebirth. It almost feels like the first record in a sense, because we really had to go back to the beginning after losing Kato, our producer. I'm just really excited for people to hear it because, in my opinion, it's the best album we've ever made so it's hard to sit on this music.
"We talked about holding the song 'Death By Rock And Roll' for longer too, and I was, like, 'I can't do this. I can't just sit on this album forever.' The world needs music and music has such a healing thing to it, and it saved my life, time and time again. If we put out a song and if it can put a smile on some people's faces, great, we'll take it from there. That's kind of what we're doing — we're riding the wave. This is just such an unprecedented time so we're trying to take it step by step, and see where things go. Everything is still up in the air, but we are planning on releasing more singles before the full album is out. There's going to be more music to come."
Track listing
01. Death By Rock And Roll
02. Only Love Can Save Me Now (feat. Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron)
Former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate will release the second album from his SWEET OBLIVION project, "Relentless", on April 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. The official lyric video for the disc's first single, "Strong Pressure", can be seen below.
The self-titled SWEET OBLIVION debut album caused quite a stir in the international hard rock and metal scene since it brought Tate back to a musical landscape akin to the sound of the stone cold classic metal albums he released with QUEENSRŸCHE during the 1980s. But what made the album work so well was that instead of being a simple throwback, other different musical influences were thrown into the mix, allowing fans to hear Tate in a simultaneously familiar and new musical setting.
While the production and main songwriting on the previous record were handled by Simone Mularoni of DGM, this time the production was instead handled by his fellow Italian metal maestro Aldo Lonobile (SECRET SPHERE, TIMO TOLKKI'S AVALON, ARCHON ANGEL).
Not only does Aldo produce and handle the songwriting, he is also featured on guitar. Other musicians appearing on the album include Michele Sanna on drums, Luigi Andreone on bass and Antonio Agate on keyboards.
This time around, Tate was more involved in the songwriting and asked Aldo to draft a very special song for him, which he would ultimately sing in Italian. The song also features guitars from Walter Cianciusi and Dario Parente, who are now also in the OPERATION: MINDCRIME live band.
Musically, this album showcases the great songwriting and performing talents of Lonobile and his cast of musicians and also marks a very welcomed return for Tate to a style that he made famous along with his former band.
"Relentless" recording lineup:
Geoff Tate - Vocals
Aldo Lonobile - Guitars
Luigi Andreone - Bass
Antonio Agate - Keys
Michele Sanna - Drums
Last year, Tate was forced to postpone a number of his tour dates due to the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the globe.
Tate spent the first two months of 2020 performing the QUEENSRŸCHE albums "Rage For Order" and "Empire" in their entirety on the "Empire 30th Anniversary Tour", which kicked off in January 2020 in Norway. Prior to that, Geoff celebrated the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE's "Operation: Mindcrime" album on European and U.S. tours.
Tate's post-QUEENSRŸCHE band OPERATION: MINDCRIME released three albums over three years as part of a trilogy: "The Key" (September 2015), "Resurrection" (September 2016) and "The New Reality" (December 2017).
RATT frontman Stephen Pearcy has released a music video for his cover version of DURAN DURAN's 1981 single "Girls On Film". Check it out below.
Pearcy's version of "Girls On Film" comes four months after the arrival of his last solo single, "Night Flight". That track, a collaboration between Pearcy and his longtime guitarist Erik Ferentinos, is expected to appear on Stephen's upcoming sixth solo album, which is tentatively due later this year. The follow-up to 2018's "View To A Thrill" will reportedly feature 13 tracks.
Last July, Ferentinos, who has played with Pearcy for nearly two decades, told All Music/All Bands about the musical direction of Stephen's next album: "The new record will have the '80s rock sound that fans have come to expect from us with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. There are some heavy bangers on there that the RATT fans will love. I try to keep it edgy, but I want us to have a hit. I'm always trying to top what we've done so far, with catchier riffs and melodies to get more fans interested in our music."
Pearcy's fifth solo LP, "View To A Thrill", came out in November 2018 via Frontiers Music Srl. The follow-up to 2017's "Smash" was produced by Matt Thorne and Pearcy and was mixed and mastered by Thorne and Ferentinos.
Pearcy and bassist Juan Croucier are the sole remaining original members in RATT's current lineup, which made its live debut in July 2018 in Mulvane, Kansas. Joining them in the band are drummer Pete Holmes (BLACK 'N BLUE, RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER) and guitarist Jordan Ziff (RAZER).
Last month, Pearcy told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he was open to the idea of making a new RATT album with all the surviving members of the band's classic lineup.
RATT hasn't released any new music since 2010's "Infestation" LP.
Legendary rocker Alice Cooper celebrates his birthday today by releasing a new single, "Social Debris", from his upcoming studio album, "Detroit Stories".
The track is released digitally and it is accompanied by an official music video, which cane be seen below.
To celebrate the special occasion in style, Cooper has decided to offer "Social Debris" as free download for 24 hours on the artist's web site.
"The single 'Social Debris' is a gift to Detroit, to my fans and to myself," says Alice, "The track was written by the original Alice Cooper band. We never thought that we would ever fit in; the Alice Cooper band didn't fit in with anybody, because we were doing things that no other band did. We didn't fit in with the folk scene, we didn't fit in with the metal scene, we really didn't fit in with anything that was going on at that time. We just always felt like we were outsiders. We felt like we were social debris, we were in our own little world. So 'Social Debris' was just the original band writing a song about us, essentially. And it came out sounding like it belonged into 1971. That's just the original band — you can't change that. It's great."
"Detroit Stories" will be released on February 26 via earMUSIC.
Named for the city that launched the original Alice Cooper group on the road to success, "Detroit Stories" follows 2019's "Breadcrumbs" EP as a modern-day homage to the toughest and craziest rock and roll scene there ever was.
In 1970, fledgling producer Bob Ezrin walked into a farmhouse on the outskirts of Detroit to work with the Alice Cooper band. Abandoning flower power Los Angeles, because they were the opposite of the hippie peace and love ideal, Alice had brought his decidedly darker gang back to his birthplace to the legendary rock scene that gave birth to hard rock, garage rock, soul, funk, punk...and more.
Ezrin drilled the band for 10 hours a day to define their signature sound. Whenever they nailed a song, the inmates at the hospital for the criminally insane across the road cheered and thus the classic Alice Cooper sound was born.
"Detroit was heavy rock central then," explains Alice, "You'd play the Eastown and it would be Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, THE STOOGES and THE WHO, for $4! The next weekend at the Grande it was MC5, BROWNSVILLE STATION and FLEETWOOD MAC, or SAVOY BROWN or the SMALL FACES. You couldn't be a soft-rock band or you'd get your ass kicked."
"Los Angeles had its sound with THE DOORS, LOVE and BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD," he says, "San Francisco had the GRATEFUL DEAD and JEFFERSON AIRPLANE. New York had THE RASCALS and THE VELVET UNDERGROUND. But Detroit was the birthplace of angry hard rock. After not fitting in anywhere in the U.S. (musically or image wise) Detroit was the only place that recognized the Alice Cooper guitar-driven hard rock sound and our crazy stage show. Detroit was a haven for the outcasts. And when they found out I was born in East Detroit... we were home."
50 years later, Alice and Ezrin gathered some legendary Detroit musicians in a Detroit studio to record "Detroit Stories", Alice Cooper's new album that celebrates that spirit for a new era. If 2019's "Breadcrumbs" EP laid down the trail to the city, "Detroit Stories" drives like a muscle car right down Woodward Ave.
"We recorded with Wayne Kramer (guitarist and writer from the MC5), Johnny "Bee" Badanjek (drums; from the legendary DETROIT WHEELS), Paul Randolph (legendary Detroit jazz and R&B bassist) as well as the Motor City Horns and other local musicians," explains Ezrin, "We had musical ideas and encouragement from John Varvatos, the support of the folks at Shinola, and we recorded at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak. This was made in detroit for Detroit by Detroit denizens!"
"Detroit Stories" will be available on CD, CD+DVD digipak, CD box set (including CD, Blu-ray, t-shirt, face mask, torch light and 3 stickers), and 2LP gatefold.
The DVD and Blu-ray will show the incredible live performance "A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris" for the first time on video. With the whole concert culture being shut down due to COVID-19, Alice Cooper felt the need to share one of his latest shows with his fans as he cannot wait to get back on the road — better than ever.
Swedish progressive metal band EVERGREY will release its 12th album, "Escape Of The Phoenix", on February 26 via AFM. The official music video for the disc's latest single, "Where August Mourns", can be seen below.
Written and recorded during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, "Escape Of The Phoenix" came to life according to plans that had been laid out in 2019. Vocalist/guitarist Tom Englund and drummer Jonas Ekdahl began composing the songs in January, creating a foundation for the album before EVERGREY gathered together and arranged the songs as a group. Unlike a typical creative process, which is often interrupted by appointments, travelling and one-off shows, lockdown requirements gave the band much-needed time to work unhindered. The result is 11 songs that embody everything EVERGREY fans have to expect, albeit "a more metal version of 'The Atlantic', with songs that are more direct," according to Englund and producer Jacob Hansen.
"Escape Of The Phoenix" will be available in various formats, including regular CD digipak, limited vinyls (picture, marbled, coloured), artbook (limited to 1000 units, 36 pages, 28cm x 28cm including CD version of the album with bonus tracks, 7" picture vinyl single with exclusive bonus track "The Darkness In You", exclusive and extensive photographic footage, and introduction written by Englund). On top of that, AFM is offering a special and exclusive t-shirt print and various shirt bundles in the label's online shop.
"Escape Of The Phoenix" track listing:
01. Forever Outsider
02. Where August Mourns
03. Stories
04. A Dandellion Cipher
05. The Beholder
06. In The Absence Of Sun
07. Eternal Nocturnal
08. Escape Of The Phoenix
09. You From You
10. Leaden Saints
11. Run
12. The Darkness In You (artbook bonus track)
EVERGREY's last studio album, "The Atlantic", was released in January 2019 via AFM Records.
Since their formation in 2004, British thrash metallers EVILE have been turning heads and taking names, delivering four pure thrash offerings blended with an uncompromising death metal assault. Their upcoming fifth studio album, titled "Hell Unleashed", will impact the metal masses on April 30 via Napalm Records, and is the long-awaited successor to 2013's "Skull". Featuring the new exciting lineup formation of Ol Drake on vocals/guitars and new member Adam Smith of RIPTIDE as rhythm guitarist, "Hell Unleashed" is a raucous and masterful thrash metal attack.
Ol Drake comments: "After a long eight years, EVILE is finally coming back with our fifth studio album, 'Hell Unleashed' in April; a nine-track onslaught of unrelenting thrash metal. I have no qualms in saying that this is the best thrash metal album in at least the last 20 years.
"Those who haven't been keeping up with EVILE may notice a change in vocals and vocalist. Matt left the band last year for health and personal reasons, and we decided it would be best to keep the new vocalist a familiar face within the band, so I stepped into the vocalist shoes, while remaining on lead guitar and I'm very happy and excited to do it. One of my heroes is Chuck Schuldiner, so it made sense to me. EVILE needs to sound evil and vile, and we've achieved that more this time with a much more aggressive approach on 'Hell Unleashed'."
In celebration of EVILE's return and the announcement of "Hell Unleashed", the band has just revealed a blistering music video for the album's title track. With double the amount of power, twice the speed, untamed brute and blazing riffs, "Hell Unleashed" will propel old and new fans to the status of eternal mayhem and thrash euphoria.
Ol Drake adds: "The title track 'Hell Unleashed' is the first single/video we're releasing, directed by James Mansell, who I previously worked with on some short films of his. We spoke for a while about maybe doing a music video for EVILE and I'm so glad we did, as we're so happy with the result. We chose the title track as the first single as we wanted the first track you hear from us in so long to be a straight-to-the-point smack in the face and this definitely delivers. (**WARNING: The video contains flashing**)"
"Hell Unleashed" was produced by Chris Clancy at Backstage Studios, U.K., and will not only feature some explosive guest backing vocals from American actor, musician and comedian Brian Posehn, who highlights the band’s irrepressible, speeding energy on the track 'Gore', but the album will also include a cover song.
Ol Drake continues: "This is the first album EVILE have done to include a cover song in the track listing. I've been a big fan of death metal for a long time, and seeing as this album is on the more extreme side of thrash vocally and musically, we thought it was a perfect opportunity to cover MORTICIAN's 'Zombie Apocalypse'. It has one of the greatest riffs in it. We're also very excited about the return of the legendary Michael Whelan (SEPULTURA, OBITUARY, Stephen King) as cover artist. He did the art for our second album and he's always a pleasure to work with."
Frontiers Music Srl will release the self-titled debut album from Italy's ScreaMachine on April 9. Pre-order the album here, and watch a video for the single, "Demondome", below.
Hailing from Rome, Italy, ScreamMachine is a driving heavy metal driving force. Armed and dangerous with molten metal riffs, the quintet is ready to take the world by storm with their blazing sound inspired by titans like Judas Priest, Metallica, Iced Earth, Savatage, and Accept. Even if the guys from ScreaMachine are in love with that legendary 80’s metal sound, they are not living in the past. Their aim is to deliver an aggressive and traditional heavy metal sound blended with a modern production and songwriting.
The musicians in ScreaMachine are no strangers to the metal scene, since most of them are members of respected Italian acts like Stormlord, Kaledon, and Lunarsea, all of whom have been active since the ‘90’s with wide discographies and hundreds of gigs under their belts.
Born from an idea by bassist Francesco Bucci, (bassist and songwriter for the extreme epic metal act Stormlord), the five metalheads have joined forces to deliver one of the heaviest metal debuts of the year.
Some of their friends have heard the metal call and delivered some killer performances to the lair of the ScreaMachine. The fretless bass hero Steve Di Giorgio (Testament, Death, Spirits Of Fire, etc.) and the powerful singer Herbie Langhans (Firewind, Avantasia, Sonic Haven) are featured in the epic hymn “Wisdom Of The Ages”. Additionally, four of the best Italian guitar players, Simone Mularoni (DGM), Massimiliano Pagliuso (Novembre, Oceana), Andrea Angelini (Stormlord), and Francesco Mattei (Noveria), are shredding their ass off on four more songs.
ScreaMachine is now eager to unleash its rage worldwide, storming the stages and the ears of all those people who are still in love with heavy metal music.
Tracklisting:
"Demondome"
"The Metal Monster"
"The Human God"
"Darksteel"
"Mistress Of Disaster"
"52Hz"
"Wisdom Of The Ages"
"Silver Fever"
"Dancing With Shadows"
"Scream Machine"
"Demondome" video:
Lineup:
Valerio “The Brave” Caricchio - Lead Vocals
Francesco Bucci - Bass
Alex Mele - Guitars
Paolo Campitelli - Guitars
Alfonso “Fo” Corace - Drums
Legendary Dutch death doom elite, Asphyx, recently released their 10th full studio album, Necroceros, via Century Media Records. Vocalist Martin van Drunen unboxes the album in this new video:
Necroceros was recorded at Tom Meier’s Tom Meier Studio and at Paul Baayens’ The Mörserstudio and then finally mixed and mastered by Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann at Greenman Studios. The album once again features front cover artwork by Axel Hermann.
"The Sole Cure is Death"
"Molten Black Earth"
"Mount Skull"
"Knights Templar Stand"
"Three Years of Famine"
"Botox Implosion"
"In Blazing Oceans"
"The Nameless Elite"
"Yield or Die"
"Necroceros"
“The Nameless Elite” video:
"Knights Templar Stand" lyric video:
“Botox Implosion” video:
Asphyx lineup:
Martin van Drunen - Vocals
Paul Baayens - Guitars
Alwin Zuur - Bass
Stefan “Husky” Hüskens - Drums
Teenage retro-rockers Red Voodoo have released their new video, “Bring It Back!” via BraveWords! The song is the title track and first single for their upcoming debut album titled Bring It Back! which will be released in spring 2021. The debut album will include eight brand new and previously unreleased songs, as well as a bonus track of Sammy Hagar’s classic song “Rock And Roll Weekend.” “Bring It Back!” is a high-energy rock song with a video that sets the tone for a young band that is planning to do just that; bring back live rock and roll music for the masses.
Red Voodoo is fronted by the 18 year old dynamic lead vocalist Dino McCord, and the young band caught the ear of Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon who has been developing the songwriting skills of the band by producing the recordings for the album over the past year. Frank Hannon states: “Most of all the new songs on the Bring It Back! album are recorded in a live fashion with the band guys in a room jamming the songs together live after they’ve been arranged and rehearsed to the best they can be. Some of the other best songs are titled; ‘Mystery Girl’, ‘Run To Win’, ‘K.S.A.’ and ‘Morgan Lane’, which I think are highly mature songs for a band of this age. I’m really looking forward to putting out a great debut full length album for 2021 releasing these songs to create a sound track for fans of high energy rock and roll music.”
Red Voodoo is Dino McCord (age18) on lead vocals, Davin Lolier (age19) on lead guitar, Drew Edwards (age17) on bass guitar, and Nick Pesely (age20) on drums. The group is unusual in the fact that they are heavily influenced by hard rock of the 1980’s. With the recent passing of Eddie Van Halen, guitarist Davin Lolier has purposefully incorporated the legend’s hammer-on technique into his own guitar style and this can be heard during the guitar solo of Bring It Back!
The new "Bring It Back!" music video was filmed by up and coming video director Brandon Gullion and was shot on location in the Northern California foothills. Brandon rounds out a production team created by Tesla guitarist / producer Frank Hannon, which includes graphics artist Duane Serfass, and executive producer Chris LaBarbera. Additionally, Hannon and LaBarbera are teaming up together, in conjunction with Frank Hannon Productions, to create an independent record label for young artists. The record label will feature the band Red Voodoo, and singer/songwriter J.T. Loux on their debut artists' roster.
Red Voodoo gained national attention during the summer of 2020 with their #1 Underground radio hit “Rise Up”, a song and video that expressed their feelings about isolation during the Covid-19 crisis and attracted the ears of their musical hero Sammy Hagar. Dino visited the legend for his birthday bash at Cabo Wabo and was invited to sing onstage with Sammy for a set of acoustic songs.
The new song, “Bring It Back!” Is the first song ever written by the band and is also the mission statement for the young rockers influenced by 1980’s musicality, wanting to help usher back the spirit of rock and roll and adding their own fresh interpretation to the genre with soulful harmony vocals and great songwriting skills being honed by producer Frank Hannon of Tesla.
Finland's Norseman plays colorful heavy metal inspired by the Nordic mysticism and they are preparing to release their long awaited second album later this year via Inverse Records. For a starters they present a single and music video to album track "Horizon". The music video of the track is dedicated to children who have lost their parents. Check it out below.
Norseman was founded in 1994 by Esa Eerola and has operated with the same line-up ever since. Their debut album was released in 2007; it was recorded between 1997 - 1999. In 2005 they started to record their second album but the recordings faded for more than a decade after their record label went down and the band members moved across the the country. Recordings were re-launched in 2020 and finally the album, Immortal Superminor, will see the light in 2021. It's an album built on big stories and minor keyed melodies.
The album is produced by Hannu Leiden and engineered by Eero Kaukomies.
Norseman is:
Esa Linna - rhythm guitar
Petri Koski - drums & percussion
Esa Eerola - bass, lead vocals
Jukka Tikander - lead guitar
Jaska Aholainen - rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
For information and updates on Norseman check out their Facebook page here.
New Jersey’s Manuel Barbará is releasing his debut album, Moonrise, this coming March. The first single for this full length is the title track. Watch a guitar/bass playthrough video below.
Featuring seven instrumental tracks of classically inspired progressive metal, Manuel Barbará puts a conscious effort into making each song into a cohesive, well-composed whole rather than a collection of flashy guitar tricks.
This recording features songwriter Manuel Barbará on guitars and programming, Nick Thorpe on bass along with Joey Ferretti on drums. The album is designed to take the listener on a journey through a series of loosely interconnected sound worlds that Barbará has created.
He explains the single “Moonrise”: “It was actually the first complete piece I ever wrote that I was really happy with. It has gone through many revisions since then, but it is still special to me as that first one. I wanted to make something big and epic and heavy with just enough of a weird edge to keep people interested. Funnily enough, the chorus riff, which seems to be everyone’s favorite part, was supposed to be a throw-away idea that I was going to replace later, but it stuck around.”
According to Barbará, this album is the first step towards his longtime goal to take his training as a classical composer and apply it to this style of modern metal that he loves so much in a way that goes beyond the standard Yngwie “neo-classical metal” thing.
The full album is out on March 19. Album pre-order is available here .
Tracklisting:
"Moonrise"
"The God Complex"
"Children of Prometheus"
"Mirrors I - Image"
"Mirrors II - Silver"
"Mirrors III - Reflection"
"The Nightmare Weaver"
Join Sweetwater’s Nick Bowcott for an insightful lesson on how to play the intro to the Jimi Hendrix classic, “Purple Haze”. Watch below:
Bowcott previously offered lessons on Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell", the Rush track "Tom Sawyer", KISS' "Hotter Than Hell", and "Them Bones" by Alice In Chains:
Danish metalcore four-piece, Ghost Iris, have announced their new studio album, Comatose, which will see a May 7 release via Long Branch Records.
Since the release of their album, Apple Of Discord, the band has made a name for themselves with relentless touring throughout Europe, UK, and Japan - sharing the stage with the likes of Dream Theater, Jinjer, After The Burial, and Soen, along with playing renowned festivals such as Copenhell, Rockstadt Extreme Fest, and Euroblast. Winning over new fans every night with their intense and energetic performance, audiences around the world instantly hunger for the band’s return.
Gearing up for the release of their fourth full-length album, Ghost Iris are building upon the sounds they explored on their previous album. Pulverizing instrumentals, bleak lyrics, catchy and hard-hitting - Comatose is no exception to these descriptors; being their most visceral material yet.
Ghost Iris about the album title and artwork for Comatose: "Comatose is a title that represents in a plethora of ways. It’s about the fact that many people are asleep, but even from a coma, one can arise. On the surface, it might seem extremely dark, nihilistic, and bearing of a defeatist attitude, but darkness cannot exist where there’s light. We all exist in the age of enlightenment and even though it seems as if we’re all screwed and the earth is almost destroyed, times will surely change. Arise from the coma, no longer comatose, we fight the demons.
"The artwork for Comatose depicts Kali, whose name translates to “she who is death”, as a mere mortal. To serve the title of the album, the majority of mankind are asleep and oblivious as to what is going on around them. Ultimately, we are death. However, there is no darkness without the light - let us all arise from the coma."
Pre-order Comatose here. Stream the first single, "Paper Tiger", here. Watch the video below.
Sirenia have released a solo playthrough video for "Addiction No. 1", the opening track of the band's upcoming album, Riddles, Ruins & Revelations. Watch below:
Founded back in 2001 and after being active as a top-notch offering in the genre for almost 20 years, Sirenia serve a new, exquisite pearl of symphonic metal: The four-piece around mastermind Morten Veland releases its tenth studio album, Riddles, Ruins & Revelations, on February 12 via Napalm Records.
On this magical output, the French-Norwegian quartet combines a heavy symphonic sound with modern influences, which their most recent record, Arcane Astral Aeons (2018), is proof of. This time, Sirenia offer an exciting new twist to their songs, spicing them with electronic vibes, but never losing sight of their musical core. Riddles, Ruins & Revelations was produced, mixed and mastered by Morten Veland himself – which marks his first time doing so.
With Riddles, Ruins & Revelations, Sirenia, around mastermind, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter and producer Morten Veland, remains as true to their album title word-play as they do to their dedication to symphonic soundscapes, drawing the listener into a pounding narrative about the darkest aspects of life. All eleven songs accumulate step by step to an integral sound artwork, where the versatile mezzo soprano voice of singer Emmanuelle Zoldan always shines in high-profile. In addition, there are many enchanting, instrumental surprises lurking on the way that absolutely need to be discovered.
"We Come To Ruins" offers a contrast of harshness to the more modern-orientated songs on the record, like “The Timeless Waning”, and skillfully portrays the multi-faceted nature of the band. On "Downwards Spiral", Emmanuelle is supported by the remarkable voice of longtime friend Joakim Næss on clean vocals, who has joined the symphonic metal outfit on previous releases. Sirenia’s tenth full-length ends with a cover of Desireless' 1986 hit “Voyage Voyage”, where the unit again impressively combines symphonic sounds with electronic atmosphere, which doesn’t count only for this final epos, but for Riddles, Ruins & Revelations as a whole.
Morten Veland on the album: "Riddles, Ruins & Revelations is Sirenia's tenth studio album. The album is very diverse, as a Sirenia album should be. There's a lot of material that shows the band from a new side, and there is lots of material that is to be expected from the band musically. All in all the album will take the listeners through a journey that will cover both familiar and unexplored musical landscapes. We hope that you will enjoy the journey.”
Riddles, Ruins & Revelations will be available in North America in the following formats:
"Addiction No. 1"
"Towards An Early Grave"
"Into Infinity"
"Passing Seasons"
"We Come To Ruins"
"Downwards Spiral"
"Beneath The Midnight Sun"
"The Timeless Waning"
"December Snow"
"This Curse Of Mine"
"Voyage Voyage"
"We Come To Ruins":
"Addiction No. 1" video:
Sirenia is:
Morten Veland - guitars, bass, vocals, keyboards, programming
Nils Courbaron - lead guitar
Emmanuelle Zoldan - vocals
Michael Brush - drums
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